9:00-9:15am: Opening Remarks
(Somerset Ballroom)
Taiisa Kelly (Chief Executive Officer, Monarch Housing Associates)
Marcus Randolph (Chair, Board of Trustees, Monarch Housing Associates; Chief Executive Officer, Invest Newark)
Amber M. Randolph (Assistant Vice President, New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)
10:15am-10:45pm: Mini Session
(Somerset Ballroom)
11:00am-12:15pm: Breakout Session I
This year’s federal “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” included changes to and expansions of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program at the federal level. Simultaneously, the NJ Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) is proposing or implementing that will expand the capacity of the program in our state. In this session, federal and state partners will share how these changes will work together to drive the creation of more LIHTC units in New Jersey.
Rosy Dafonseca (Assistant Director, Multifamily/Supportive Housing and Lending Division, New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA))
Liz Osborn (Vice President of Policy, Enterprise Community Partners)
Amelia Rideau (Genesis Companies, LLC)
As counties and hospitals across New Jersey respond to the opioid crisis and rising healthcare costs, housing is becoming a central part of the solution. This panel looks at how local governments are using opioid settlement funds to support recovery-focused housing, and how hospitals are partnering with housing agencies to improve housing stability. Learn how policy, funding, and lived experience are shaping housing solutions that improve health and recovery outcomes. Speakers include local leaders, hospital partners, and a resident of a hospital-partnered supportive housing project.
Lorenzo Allen (Coming Home of Middlesex County, Inc.)
Melissa Hernandez, MSN, RN, NP-C (Director, Health Equity, RWJBarnabas – RWJUH)
Eileen O’Donnell, J.D., MPP, MSW (Executive Director, Coming Home of Middlesex County, Inc.)
Colleen Snow (Director, Camden County Office of Mental Health & Addiction)
This session will present the strategies at the heart of New Jersey’s comprehensive efforts to eliminate homelessness across veteran, family, and youth populations. Speakers will present an in-depth analysis of the Bringing Veterans Home (BVH) initiative and report progress on the Statewide Plan to Address Family and Youth Homelessness, examining how the proven methodologies and evidence-based frameworks employed in these targeted programs can be effectively scaled and adapted to address homelessness and achieve sustainable housing stability outcomes among other vulnerable populations throughout the state.
Kellie Donovan (Executive Vice President, Soldier On)
Taiisa Kelly (Chief Executive Officer, Monarch Housing Associates)
Teresa Reams (Community Consultant, Atlantic County Advisory Board)
Jaclynn Trakalo (Bringing Veterans Home Project Director, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Office of Homelessness Prevention)
Advocacy is central to ending homelessness and ensuring that housing is a human right. This session will provide an overview of the importance of advocacy in the housing and homeless space, providing tangible guidance on how attendees can participate in advocacy efforts at the federal, state and local level. Session attendees will take part in interactive roundtable learning conversations with several experts on the advocacy process.
Petra Gaskins (New Brunswick Councilwoman/Chief of Staff to Senator Cryan)
Tanisha Garner (Community Consultant, Essex County Advisory Board; President, Homes For All Newark)
Dr. Caitlin Krenn, DSW, LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker, The Door)
Nedia Morsy (Director, Make the Road New Jersey)
Despite recent pushes for increased criminalization of unsheltered homelessness, this strategy does not ultimately resolve its root causes. We have better, more effective solutions for homelessness. This session will detail best practices for addressing encampments and share tools designed to help prioritize encampments with the highest needs.
Rebecca Hickom (Director Of CAS, Housing Forward Texas)
Brittany Odom (Brilliant By Design Consulting)
Jesse Rabinowitz (Campaign & Communications Director, National Homelessness Law Center)
Tosha Rutledge (Tri-County COC Board Member)
Criminalization is Not the Answer presentation and contact information
Cuts to programs funding affordable housing development will make these programs even more competitive, exacerbating existing barriers to the participation of emerging developers. Under these circumstances, emerging developers may need to partner with more experienced developers to bring projects to fruition. Our panelists will share perspectives on what an equitable, mutually supportive joint venture partnership should look like.
Jesse Batus (Senior Vice President, Development, NY/NJ, The Community Builders, Inc)
Calla Ketchens (Senior Associate Attorney, Souder Law Group)
Siree Morris (President, MCI Collective)
Charles Oliver (Founder and Chairman, CO Enterprises)
How to Navigate Affordable Housing Development Joint Venture Partnerships contact information
As the funding landscape continues to shift, one thing is clear, connecting households with housing interventions as early as possible needs to be a primary focus for all communities. This session will provide an overview of how different communities are working to enhance their homelessness prevention systems by using data and cross partner sharing platforms to develop more streamlined systems.
Darrell Cason (Deputy Administrator, DC Department of Human Services (DHS))
Barbara Gonzalez (Chair, Trenton/Mercer Advisory Board)
Emma Kornetsky (Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab)
Kayla Zimmer (Deputy Director, The Waterfront Project, Inc.)
Despite the current environment, organizations can and must continue to structure and evaluate programs with an eye to supporting underserved communities. Learn what legal protections could allow your organization to continue to engage in conversations and planning that incorporate equity considerations.
Lloyd Freeman (Chief Experience Officer, Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney)
Veronica Lewis (Diversion Specialist, Bridges Outreach)
12:30-1:00pm: Lunch
(Somerset Ballroom)
1:00-2:00pm: Lunch Plenary Panel
(Somerset Ballroom)
Amanda Misiko Andere (CEO, Neighborhood Funders Group)
April De Simone (Founder and Managing Principal, The Practice of Democracy)
Eric Dobson (United Black Agenda)
2:15-3:30pm: Breakout Session II
Homelessness and housing instability are deeply systemic issues that require comprehensive solutions. Movements in several jurisdictions across the globe have sought to address intersecting housing issues by establishing regulatory and legislative frameworks that affirm the human right to housing. Panelists will share their expertise and offer insight into how the right to housing perspective could shape housing advocacy in New Jersey.
Siya Hegde (Staff Attorney, National Homelessness Law Center)
Kim Reeder (Advisor, The Urban Institute, Housing Justice Project; Equal Rights for Every Neighbor Coalition with the ACLU of CA, Abundantly Housing LA)
Eric Tars (Senior Policy Director, National Homelessness Law Center)
James Williams (Policy Consultant)
In our new economic and political environment, many affordable housing funders are determining how best to adapt while continuing to drive progress. Our group of panelists will share what the landscape currently looks like in context of this year’s developments and shed light on the steps funders are taking to respond to resulting challenges.
Peter Grof (Community Investment Officer, Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLBNY))
Sajan Philip (Principal, Cardinal Impact Advisors)
Bryan Woll (Director, National Programs, Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF))
How Affordable Housing Funders are Adapting presentation and contact information
In the face of federal cuts, communities in New Jersey are getting creative with local dollars to continue making progress towards ending homelessness. Panelists will share how their communities are leveraging their Homeless Trust Funds and lend insight into the Funder’s Collaborative model, a resource pooling strategy they’ve deployed to realize system change.
Amanda Misiko Andere (CEO, Neighborhood Funders Group)
Rose Marie Bulbach (Asst. Director, Ocean County Department of Human Services)
Sharon McDonald (Senior Advisor to Chief Policy Officer, National Alliance to End Homelessness)
Jay Rutherford (Assistant Director, New beginnings behavioral health / Life After Life non-profit)
This session will focus on how multi-system data analysis across housing, health, and human services can lead to better understanding and support for people experiencing homelessness. The conversation will explore how we can move from singular data efforts to more consistent, scalable approaches that modernize our infrastructure and keep people at the center.
Tina McGill (Assistant Director, Office of Homelessness Prevention, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs)
Marlon Duprey (Community Consultant, Hudson County Advisory Board)
Gavin Rozzi (Director, DHCR Data Center, NJ Department of Community Affairs)
Dan Treglia, PhD (Rutgers Center for State Health Policy)
Re-envisioning Housing Data presentation and contact information
Realizing an affordable housing vision demands preparation, credibility, and a solid strategy. Panelists will explore what affordable housing investors and lenders are really looking for in a pitch, how to structure deal documents, the importance of personal and project-level financials, and how to build relationships that go beyond a single transaction. This discussion will help emerging developers avoid common pitfalls and present their projects — and themselves — with confidence and clarity.
Adenah Bayoh (Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Foya Development Group)
Susan Grossman (Senior Underwriter, Housing Credit Investments, Enterprise Community Partners)
Lawrence Hammond (Senior Vice President/Director, CPC ACCESS, The Community Preservation Corporation (CPC))
Alle Ries (Regional CRA Officer, M&T Bank)
In this time of uncertainty regarding the future of housing, the economy, the cost of development, and public financing sources, it’s important to have a plan for your development—then a plan b, plan c, plan d, and so on. This panel of development team experts will walk through how to develop contingency plans that account for varying site uses, financing options, and project timelines.
Lynn Bartlett (Executive Director, Housing Development Corporation of Bergen County (HDC))
Nicole Lockett (Managing Director of Development, Genesis Companies)
Asish Patel (Chief Operating Officer, Monarch Housing Associates)
Steve Schoch, AIA, LEED AP (Principal and Director of Housing, Thriven Design)
I Love it when “Plan A” Comes together presentation and contact information
Storytelling and global campaigns have transformed public understanding of homelessness and highlighted the importance of equity and lived experience in system planning. Now, it’s time to stop simply talking about lived experience and start centering it. Panelists will share how to move away from tokenism towards true leadership by building trust, shifting power, and ensuring people with lived experience are not only invited to the table but are central to shaping policy, planning, and priorities in housing & homelessness systems.
Alicia Alvarez (nourish.NJ, Garden State Leaders (GSL), NJ Homelessness Action Collaborative (NJHAC), DCA Advisory Board (DCAAB))
Mark Horvath (Invisible People)
This session will dive into the current status of the housing supports component of the Medicaid 1115 waiver. Panelists will highlight the impacts of infrastructure grant dollars, provide details on the rollout of initial housing support programs, and explain how additional organizations can join the roster of service providers eligible to provide this assistance.
DuEwa Edwards-Dickson, CSW, MPA (Chief of Supportive Services, Rescue Mission of Trenton)
Lauren Jacobs, MSW, LSW (Director, Housing Medicaid Program, Horizon NJ Health)
Tanika Moss (Passaic County COC Co-Chair; DCA Statewide Advisory Board Member; Heart of Hannah)
Jonathan Tew (Policy Director, Office of Policy and Innovation, NJ Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS))
3:30-5:00pm: Open Forum Q&A and Focused Networking
Stop in for an informal Q&A with the NJ Department of Community Affairs:
Mike Callahan (Director of Homelessness Prevention, NJ Department of Community Affairs)
Dean Dafis, Esq. (Director, Office of Eviction Prevention, Department of Community Affairs, Division of Housing and Community Resources)
Renée Koubiadis (Senior Policy Advisor, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Housing and Community Resources)
Colleen Velez (Division of Housing and Community Resources, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs)
Stick around or stop in to ask about the Medicaid 1115 Waiver!
Lauren Jacobs, MSW, LSW (Director, Housing Medicaid Program, Horizon NJ Health)
Colleen McCauley (Camden Coalition)
Stop into the Ballroom for informal networking and conversations around a variety of themes – look for the corresponding signs!
~ Advocacy Networking
~ Funder Networking with:
Peter Grof (Community Investment Officer, Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLBNY))
Susan Grossman (Senior Underwriter, Housing Credit Investments, Enterprise Community Partners, Enterprise Community Partners)
Lawrence Hammond (Senior Vice President/Director, CPC ACCESS, The Community Preservation Corporation (CPC))
Sajan Philip (Principal, Cardinal Impact Advisors)
Alle Ries (Regional CRA Officer, M&T Bank)
Bryan Woll (Director, National Programs, Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF))
~ NJ Division of Civil Rights Networking
The Community Relations Unit of the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights (DCR) works to proactively prevent discrimination and bias-based harassment through education and community outreach.